David Gard/New Jersey Local News Service"No County Park' signs are all over the lawns in the neighborhood surrounding Oakwood Park in New Providence.

As New Providence nears finalizing a deal with Union County to sell Oakwood Park for $1 in exchange for millions of dollars in renovations, a collection of residents has rallied in opposition to the proposed sale.

They have penned letters to the editor of nearly every local news outlet. They have placed signs declaring "No County Park" in their front yards and stuck magnets bearing the same motto on their refrigerators. They distributed fliers. There is even a Facebook group named "Save Oakwood Park!" and a video of their grievances is on YouTube.

They say the scope of the plan is out of character with the neighborhood. They say deeding the park to the county relinquishes control over scheduling.

What they want is a chance to vote on the sale via a referendum in November.

"Deeding property to someone who won't have the same interests over a long period of time, like forever, isn't something that should be done without the benefit of a referendum," said David Maurer of Pine Way.

But some township officials disagree.

Mayor John Thoms said months of thorough analysis and discussion leave New Providence's elected officials in the best place to make the decision.

"For the last six or seven months our council has been deeply involved and certainly knows the pros and cons and strengths and weaknesses of entering into this agreement," Thoms said.

The property for sale includes Oakwood Park, which covers about 16 acres on the borough's northwestern edge, and a 14-acre tract bordering the park that abuts the Passaic River.

Currently, Oakwood Park houses bocce, volleyball and basketball facilities, a picnic area, a playground, two ponds and fields used for football, soccer and baseball. The renovation plans include covering those fields with synthetic turf and adding more parking spaces, new bathrooms and a fieldhouse with a concession stand. The land near the Passaic River, which prompted the county to enter the deal according to county manager George Devanney, would remain undeveloped.

The land furthers what Devanney called the county's overriding mission to purchase and connect Union County parks as envisioned by its designers, the Olmsted Brothers. "Anytime that parkland becomes available, it's of the highest priority," said Devanney.

For bundling the river land into the sale, the county will invest nearly $3.5 million from its Open Space Trust Fund into Oakwood Park.

While the opposition agrees the park needs a makeover, they take issue with the county's involvement and the scope of the project.

"It's overkill," said Bill Hart of Newcomb Drive.

Proponents say without the county's investment, the park will remain in its current state for years to come.

Oakwood Park in New Providence.

"At least 10 years from now we will be arguing about a really nice field. If we don't do this deal it will stay the same for another 10 years," said Tzu-Lin Toner, the borough's director of community activities.

Upgrading the park, which has sloping ball fields riddled with potholes, has been a borough goal since it completed a study of its recreation facilities in 2004.

Recreation and township officials say the fields are overused, and at times, unusable. They noted the borough can't afford the renovations and when residents were asked to pay for upgrades to the high school's fields several years ago, they didn't donate.

However, even some of the supporters are concerned about details of the agreement contained in a June memo.

"The language in there was a little bit loose," said Sean Carroll, president of the borough's Police Athletic League. Carroll noted the league, whose teams often use the park, wants to move the project forward, but with more concrete terms for scheduling and a firmer plan for buying back the land if the terms of the contract aren't carried through.

Jim Madden, who worked on the 2004 study and serves on the borough's athletic foundation and community activities advisory board, has similar concerns. He said the June memorandum that the council plans to discuss at its meeting tomorrow should be renegotiated.